Trump Lies

The Associated Press reports: Donald Trump’s company won’t have to pay hefty legal bills incurred by his former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who became a vocal critic of the ex-president and went to prison after pleading guilty to tax and other crimes, a New York judge ruled Friday. Judge Joel M. Cohen threw out Cohen’s breach of contract …

Law & Crime reports: Former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos dropped her defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump on Friday, after the former president’s lawyer filed counterclaims under a New York State law punishing litigation meant to chill free speech. The filing marks a precipitous end to a nearly half-decade-old lawsuit, which Trump initially and unsuccessfully tried to dismiss by claiming immunity …

From the Department of Justice: Stephen K. Bannon was indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the United States Capitol. Bannon, 67, is charged with one contempt count involving his refusal to …

The Hill reports: Top political officials in the Trump White House tried to block public health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, and tried to eliminate evidence of political interference into scientists’ reports on the coronavirus, according to newly released documents from congressional investigators. The latest documents from a House committee investigating the former administration’s response to the pandemic …

The Hill reports: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) on Friday endorsed former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders as his successor, saying that his state “will be in good hands” under her leadership. “I’ve known Sarah Huckabee Sanders most of her life and know firsthand her love for our state and her heart for public service,” Hutchinson said in …

CNN reports: Former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows did not appear for a deposition on Friday in front of the House select committee investigating January 6, sources familiar with the investigation tell CNN, setting up a potential showdown that could lead to the panel beginning a criminal referral process against him. Committee staffers had been prepared to …

CBS News reports: The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is threatening to seek a contempt referral against former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows if he does not appear for a deposition on Friday morning. Committee chair Representative Bennie Thompson issued the warning in a publicly released letter to Meadows’ attorney, …

Axios reports: Former President Trump — in a taped interview with Jonathan Karl of ABC News that was shared with Axios — defended, quite extensively, supporters who threatened to “hang” former Vice President Mike Pence. Jonathan Karl: “Were you worried about him during that siege? Were you worried about his safety?” Trump: “No, I thought he was well-protected, and I …

The Washington Post reports: A federal appeals court on Thursday blocked the imminent release of records of former president Donald Trump’s White House calls and activities related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack after a lower court found that President Biden can waive his predecessor’s claim to executive privilege. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted an …

CNN reports: Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is facing new pressure to cooperate with the House Select Committee investigating January 6 after he was notified Thursday that President Joe Biden will not assert executive privilege or immunity over documents and testimony requested by the panel, according to a copy obtained by CNN. However, Meadows has made clear …

NBC News reports: Lawyers for former President Donald Trump on Thursday asked a federal appeals court to temporarily block the National Archives from turning over his White House records to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The committee is set to receive the first batch of documents, which lawmakers say is key to their investigation, …

Mediaite reports: In excerpts shared by the Trump team Wednesday, the former president told Republicans at the National Republican Congressional Committee event they should “ban critical race theory” and “save America’s suburbs from Biden’s CRT-inspired housing agenda.” Later on he got around to calling for massive boycotts: “We need nationwide boycotts of companies that don’t believe in Republican and conservative …

CNN reports: A federal judge on Wednesday night said she would not help former President Donald Trump as he attempts to buy time in his argument to keep secret records from his presidency, pointing him instead to an appeals court to seek help. Judge Tanya Chutkan’s latest decision comes a day after she ruled against Trump in a historic case …

The Washington Post reports: A federal judge in Washington ruled late Tuesday that hundreds of pages of Trump White House records can be turned over to a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol despite the former president’s objections. The decision by U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan clears the way for the release of government …

The Hill reports: “Why is it that Old Crow Mitch McConnell voted for a terrible Democrat Socialist Infrastructure Plan, and induced others in his Party to do likewise, when he was incapable of getting a great Infrastructure Plan wanting to be put forward by me and the Republican Party?” Trump vented in a statement. Trump promised a $1 trillion infrastructure …

The West Side Rag reports: The Donald J. Trump highway beautification sign — on the southbound side of the Henry Hudson Parkway, just north of the West 79th Street exit — is being removed, according to a letter from the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) to Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, who shared it with WSR. Trump’s name has …

The Washington Post reports: At least 13 senior Trump administration officials illegally mixed governing with campaigning before the 2020 election, intentionally ignoring a law that prohibits merging the two and getting approval to break it, a federal investigation released Tuesday found. A report from the office of Special Counsel Henry Kerner describes a “willful disregard for the law” known as …

Politics reports: If you blinked you missed it. Former President Donald Trump filed an emergency request to a federal judge late Monday night to prevent the National Archives from sending sensitive records to Jan. 6 committee investigators by Friday. And just after midnight, Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected it, contending the request itself was legally defective and “premature.” The unusual exchange, …

Mediaite reports: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took a veiled shot at Donald Trump during a speech last weekend, telling a Republican Jewish Coalition audience that winning campaigns are the ones that “look forward, not backwards.” “If we don’t get it, we’re going to lose,” he added as he got a smattering of applause. So, naturally, Trump responded on …

ABC News reports: In an angry conversation on his final day as president, Donald Trump told the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee he was leaving the GOP and creating his own political party — and that he didn’t care if the move would destroy the Republican Party, according to a new book by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan …